Harry Potter and the deul of the fates
by CuteMonkey108
Summary: My First fic! *COMPLETE!* Harry thought he had enough to worry about between his feelings for Hermione and helping Ron make the Quittich team. But with the Dark Lord rising to power, can Harry make the ultimate sacrifice to defeat him one last time?
1. Home Again

Chapter 1

****

Home Again

It was the summer before fifth year and it just so happened that it was the birthday of now 15-year old Harry Potter. He sat on his twin bed, an array of gifts sprawled out around him. There was a brand new quill that changed ink color randomly from Hermoine, a tin of broom wax for his Firebolt from Ron, 10 galleons from Hagrid, various homemade sweets from Mrs. Weasly, and, now resting in the trash bin, one of Uncle Vernon's old socks from the Dursleys. It wasn't the presents that caught Harry's attention, however; it was the note attached to Hermione's gift that he found most appealing.

"Dear Harry," he read aloud for about the twentieth time, "I do hope the Durseys don't spoil your birthday. I figured you must be sick of books by now so I picked you up this nifty quill. I bought one for myself, too, so we can compare colors when we do our homework together. Well, I guess that's all for now. Oh- I haven't heard any news about You-Know-Who; I do hope we don't meet up with him anytime soon. I can't wait to see you again. Love, Hermoine." 

Harry whistled. "When we do our homework together"…"I can't wait to see you again"…it sounded as if she really missed him. And then there was the clause. Not "sincerely" or even "your friend"-no, she had written "love". Harry was not sure what he meant but his heart raced at the prospect of finally sharing his feelings for Hermione with her.

Harry spent the next few months anxiously awaiting an owl from Ron inviting him to spend the remainder of the summer with his family as he had for the past few years. One never came. Harry and Ron hadn't spoken in months and Harry wondered if his friend was mad at him, but he dismissed the thought. Ron had simply been busy this summer and he would just have to see himself to Hogwarts.

On August 29 Harry and Uncle Vernon left for King's Cross Station so he could catch the 10:00 AM train to the school.

"Now, boy, don't expect to be coming home for the holidays this year," Uncle Vernon lectured Harry before they parted for the school year. "Christmas is a wonderful time of year for family to get together and I don't intend on allowing my nephew to ruin it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry answered automatically. He was neither offended nor upset; he had no intention of returning to the Dursleys' one second earlier than planned. Uncle Vernon glared at him for another moment then turned on his heel and walked away. 

Ten minutes later Harry had followed the familiar route through the brick wall and onto platform 9 ¾. He handed his luggage to a prefect to load and stepped into the Hogwarts Express. Taking his usual seat in the back Harry plopped himself onto the leather cushion, pulled a book from his robes, and began to read.

"Harry?" a familiar voice asked. "Harry, is that you?"

Harry snapped shut _A Century of Quittich_ and turned to face Hermione Granger.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed. "It's great to see you!"

"You too!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. Harry was a bit surprised at this gesture but returned the hug.

"I almost didn't recognize you," Hermione explained. "You've gotten so handsome over the summer." Her cheeks flushed but Harry quickly answered:

"You too. Pretty, I mean. You've gotten really pretty." Now it was Harry's turn to blush, but it was true. The girl's normal bush of dry, frizzy hair was now smooth and sleek, several inches longer than it had been in June. Her face was a lot smoother, Harry noticed, her eyes sparkling through a border of perfectly applied eyeliner, and, Harry realized, her robes seemed much tighter around her chest. His blush deepened as he thought this but, he told himself, it was perfectly normal for a 15 year old boy to think such things.

The two chatted nonstop for the next twenty minutes until, as the train was about to pull out of the station, their old friend Ronald Weasly, sauntered into the compartment. 

"Hey, guys! Great to see- oh, sorry, am I interrupting?" he said scornfully at the intimate conversation he had walked in on.

"Oh, no, no, you're not interrupting," Hermoine said sheepishly, quickly backing away from Harry. "It's great to see you too, Ron."

Ron, still somewhat uncertain looking, took a seat next to Harry and the three began catching up on each other's lives as the train left the station.

* * *

That evening the magnificent Hogwarts Express pulled into the great castle and the students filed out onto the grounds. As Hagrid led the first-years to the boats that would row them across the lake, the prefects helped the older students into horse-less carriages and they soon arrived at Hogwarts for another year of excitement and adventure. 

Professor McGonagal guided them into the Great Hall and Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly grabbed seats at the Gryffendor table near Ginny, Fred, and George. After the new students were sorted into their houses Professor Dumbledor stood to read the start-of-term announcements. 

"First of all," he said, silencing the students, "I would like to welcome you all back and to give our first years an official greeting. Welcome. Now, as I am sure you are all curious as to Lord Voldamourt." Most present flinched at the mention of the Dark Lord. "We have no further information on Voldamort but I assure you that you will all be notified immediately. As for now, please keep your eyes and ears alert for any possible signs of danger but also be aware that the castle is incredibly well protected. Now, other announcements…as usual, the Dark Forest is forbidden to all students, as is the teacher's lounge." He looked directly at the Weasly twins, who grinned sheepishly at this.

"Also, I would like to inform those who do not already know that Professor Snape will be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher-"Harry gasped and exchanged looks with Ron and Hermione-"and Mrs. Natrin will be your Potions instructor." He gestured to a young brunette sitting two seats to his left. "That is all. Please enjoy the feast." He raised his hands and plates of every food imaginable appeared on the four long tables. The students gasped and chattered excitedly.

At the Gryffindor table the Weasly's brought up the subject of Quittich.

"I really can't wait to start this season," George said. "Over the holiday me and Fred have been drawing up game plans. We'll win for sure this year."

"Don't we always?" Harry asked smugly. Fred frowned.

"Yes, that's true…however, with so many players from the house teams graduating last year there will be many new additions. Harry, even with an excellent seeker such as yourself"-Harry beamed-"We don't know what we're up against. It's best to be prepared." Harry looked as if he was about to comment, but Ron spoke first.

"Hey, Fred, George, do you think I might be able to get a spot on the team?"

"Sorry to disappoint, little bro, but there's no openings on the Gryffindor team this year. Unless someone quits or is kicked off we can't take on anyone new. You could try out for a sub though." This didn't seem to satisfy Ron but he dropped the subject. 

__

Desperate to break the silence Harry commented on hermione's plate.

"Oh, so you really are a vegetarian now?"

`"Oh-yes, that's right," Hermione answered happily. She turned to the others.

"As I was telling Harry on the train, over the summer I've decided to give up meat. It's just not right to slaughter those poor, defenseless animals."

"Hermione," Fred said in an exasperated voice, "why do you think God put cows on the planet?"

"To be equals with us!" Hermione shreiked.

"That's stupid," George snapped.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"There, you see? I knew we'd come to an understanding."

Hermione shot out of her seat, slammed down her napkin, and ran off. 

"Hermione!" Harry cried and without another word darted after her.

The Weaslys sat in silence for a moment, then Fred said, "Ron? Don't you think you should check up on them?"

"Nah," he said disdainfully. "I'm sure they'll be fine _together_." Fred and George exchanged a look but dropped the subject and soon fell into a deep conversation about their business of joke and gag items. Ron tried to listen in but soon grew bored and, after a few minutes, stood up and retreated to the common room.

"Oh, Hermione, don't listen to them, it's all rubbish," he heard Harry say hoarsely. Ron tip-toed further into the room to a safe spot behind a couch and listened attentively.

"I know, I know, but sometimes it just seems like I'm being a goody-goody…I miss eating hamburgers at McDonalds with my parents, and I feel like an outcast when you and Ron are gnawing at drumsticks while I'm picking at a salad." 

"Oh, Hermione…it's your choice…of course it's right." He cupped her chin in his hand and she closed her eyes, leaned in, and-Ron couldn't bear to whiteness what was about to happen.

"Hello, mates!" he chirped. He was pleased, although somewhat guilty, so see Harry and Hermione quickly spring apart to separate ends of the couch.

"We better get to bed now, don't wanna be late for out first day of classes now, do we?" 

"Um…no, no, of course not," said Hermione, collecting herself and standing up.

"Coming, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Oh, right." The three of them set off for their bedrooms.

"What the hell is up?" Ron cried as soon as Hermione had gone her separate way to the girls' dorms.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, taken aback.

"You and Hermione!" Ron practically yelled. "I saw you two in front of the fire, ready to start making out. Do you have the hots for her or something?"

"So what if I do?" Harry said defensivly, crossing his arms.

"Nothing, nothing," Ron muttered. "Jut forget it. I'm happy for you two. Really." He forced a smile to his lips and they resumed their walk to the dorm. 

"Hey, it's not like we're a couple or anything…" Harry reminded him. "I was just cheering her up and one thing led to another and…it just seemed right at the time. You know."

"Yeah, I know," Ron said as they settled into bed. "I know." 

He had no idea what the fuck Harry was talking about. How could he see Hermione that way? It was just wrong…


	2. Day 1

Chapter 2

****

Day One

The next morning Harry woke up with a feeling of dread in his stomach despite the chirping birds and sun streaming through the window. Remembering the issue with Ron last night he rolled over in bed and stared at Ron's empty cot. 

"Ron?" Harry called, sitting up. 

"In here!" Ron called from down the hall in the bathroom. Harry sat up, grabbed his glasses, and strolled down to the boy's bathroom. 

"Hey, Ron," he said uncertainly.

"Hey," his friend replied, glancing at Harry's reflection in the mirror. "Look…about last night, I'm really sorry-"

"It's cool."

"No, really, I didn't mean to blow up at you about it-"

"It's cool," Harry insisted. Ron gave a small smile and Harry joined him to brush his teeth.

Half an hour later they joined Hermione in the common room to check their schedule for the day.

"Let's see," Hermione said, running her finger down the agenda.

"There's Transfiguration in half an hour…then potions at 11:00…Divination for you guys at 1:00 while I go to Astronomy III…then we end the day with Care of Magical Creatures and Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"I can't wait to meet the new potions teacher," Harry commented. "She looks really nice."

"You mean pretty?" Hermione asked slyly.

"No, he likes someone else," Ron said with a wink.

"Shut up!" Harry yelled at him.

"Who?" Hermione asked curiously.

"No one," Harry said quickly. "Let's go down to breakfast. We don't wanna be late for Transfiguration."

"We don't?" Ron asked dryly as they set off for the Great Hall.

Half an hour later they were seated in the back of Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class, half-listening to her yap about what they would be doing that year, half playing around with Harry and Hermione's color-changing quills.

"Wicked!" Ron breathed. "It's so random…see here, I wrote an entire page in green…then I couldn't even finish the word "and" before it switched from brown to purple!" Harry kicked Hermione under the table and they glanced at each other, trying incredibly hard not to burst out laughing at Ron's stupidity.

"Simple pleasures for simple minds," Hermione whispered to Harry with a grin.

"Ms. Granger, do you have something you'd like to share with the class?" McGonagal's stern voice echoed through the room as Harry racked his brain for an excuse not to get Hermione in trouble.

"Well? I'm waiting."

"I'm sorry, professor…Hermione was just reminding me that transfiguration of a mouse requires an adult hair, not a baby's." Hermione flashed Harry a grin.

"That would fine," she replied coldly-"if we weren't reviewing the transfiguration of parchment into muggle paper!" Hermione stifled a giggle but, to Harry's delight, seemed quite happy to avoid detention.

"Now, it would be greatly appreciated if you three would pay attention to the lesson!" McGonagal said sternly. 

"Yes, Mam," Harry said with mock seriousness that, luckily, McGonagal bought.

AsHarry and Ron left Divination later that day they met up with Hermione and walked to Defense against the Dark Arts together. The new potions teacher had been very nice, although a little absent-minded, and it seemed as if everyone was dying to see how Snape would handle his new position.

"Hey, Potter, ready to get a head start on losing house points?" Harry turned. It was Malfoy.

"Hey, Draco, just cause we're a little behind in being a suck-up goody-goody bastard, that's no reason for you to rub it in our faces." Harry glanced at Ron. That had been one of his lamest comebacks yet, but it was better than the blank he was drawing.

Unfortunately, Malfoy seemed to be reading Harry's mind.

"Come on Weasly, is that the best you can do?" Malfoy taunted.

"Shut it, Malfoy!" Harry said, stepping forward. A small crowd had gathered around them and Harry didn't want to start off the year with a reputation as a loser. He decided to end this short and sweet.

"I'm sick of your shit," he said loudly. "I've got better things to do than sit around on my ass and listen to bitch and moan about every little thing. That's what mums are for. If you want to have a life as an old lady that's fine with me, but let's make one thing clear: I don't wanna be a part of it. Take your crap somewhere else." Malfoy opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. A few spectators cheered and whistled, but Harry ignored them and walked into class.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had silently agreed with Malfoy; now that Snape was in the position he'd always dreamed of he was sure to be ten times worse than in potions the previous years. However, Defense Against the Dark Arts was not nearly as bad as they had imagined; it was far worse. 

The second Harry entered the classroom Snape bellowed at him, "Twenty points from Gryffinfor for chewing gum in class!"

"But I haven't got any!" Harry protested and opened his mouth to prove it.

"Thirty points from Gryffindor for faking gum chewing and wasting my time!" Snape bellowed. 

"Nice going," a Gryffindor fourth year muttered from behind him. Harry shook his head disgustedly and took a seat in the far back corner of the room. However, this only made Snap more sure that he was breaking the rules. By the end of class Harry alone had lost 45 additional points from Gryffindor for "writing too loudly", "making fun of the teacher", "horseplay", and "not volunteering to answer enough". 

Hermione and the other Gryffindors comforted Harry on the way out of class but it was obvious that they were really pissed that Harry was wrecking their chance for the house cup so early in the year. He quickly grew tired of explaining that he had done nothing wrong and just nodded miserably as his peers lectured him over and over. 

By dinnertime, however, word had spread about Harry's confrontation with Malfoy and the same people were soon congratulating him. Harry was too miserable to be happy and left the Great Hall early. 

Later that evening, Ron entered the dorm and tried to talk to him.

"Harry, what's bugging you?"

"Nothing...well, it is something…I mean…well, first of all there's this whole quittich thing and if your brothers are right we may not win this year…then there's this crap with Snape…oh Ron, this year's going to be worse than all the others combined…then there's Hermione…I'm not sure if she even likes me!"

"Oh, she likes you all right," Ron said with a hint of jealousy in his voice. 

"Really? You think?" asked Harry, brightly immediately. With a small sigh Ron decided that his friend's happiness was more important than his own stupid envy.

"Yeah. Don't you see her looking at you all the time? It's in her eyes…anyway, you better make your move soon before someone else takes her. Remember Krum?" Harry's face darkened.

"How could I forget? Okay, I will. This weekend I'll tell her."

"'Atta boy!" Ron said, slapping him a high five. 

That night, Ron couldn't fall asleep. He downstairs to the common room for a drink of water and was surprised to see his sister Ginny and Hermione talking in front of the fire.

"Oh, Ginny, he's so adorable!" Hermione whispered to her friend. 

"I know," she replied wistfully. Hermione frowned.

"You still like him, don't you?"

"What? Oh-maybe a little…but I've been thinking, and you should go out with him."

"Really?" Hermione asked happily, switching to a more comfortable position. 

"Yeah. I mean, what I have is just a crush. But I think what you and Harry have may be true love." A dopey smile appeared on Hermione's face at the mention of the name.

"So you're sure you don't mind?"

"Nope," said Ginny honestly. "You have my blessing." The two girls giggled and retreated upstairs.

Ron's insides churned. There was only one Harry he knew of in this school. So…Harry liked Hermione and she obviously liked him. Great. And this left him where?


	3. The Accusation

Chapter 3

****

The Accusation

The next few days passed uneventfully. Harry didn't lose as many house points from Snape as he had on the first day but it was still by far his least favorite class. He has not made any progress with Hermione but was getting impatient.

"I can't walk past her in the hall without wondering what we could have right now," Harry told Ron that morning as they headed down to the common room. "I can't look at her lips without wondering what it would be like to kiss her…I can't stare at her beautiful face without going stiff-"

"Ok, a bit too much on the 4-1-1!" Ron broke in.

"Sorry," Harry said with a grin.

"So, um…I guess you're serious about her then, huh?" Ron asked. "I mean, are you thinking about…you know…sex or anything?"

Harry came to an abrupt halt. The thought had never crossed his mind but now that Ron mentioned it, Harry wasn't sure what he wanted. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, but did he want to go _that _far?

"I'm really not sure," he said, resuming his walk. "I think I'll just take it one step at a time. And a date would be a nice start!"

"What perfect timing!" Ron said, pointing. Harry followed the path of his finger and saw Hermione sitting in an overstuffed chair in the common room only a few feet below them. Before he knew what was happening Ron and shoved him down the last few steps and he stumbled down, finally collecting himself right in front of Hermione. 

"Hello Harry!" she exclaimed, standing up. 

"Um…hi"

"Hi." _Ok, this is it, _he decided. _I'm going to ask her._

"Hey, um Hermione? I'm-um-I'm-having a but of trouble in Transfiguration-do you think you could help me out a bit? Tonight? I mean, if you've got nothing better to do. I mean, I'm sure you do…but if you could spare a few minutes or something. Just to-you know-help me and I-"

"I'd love to," she Hermione said, and with a quick grin at Harry waltzed over to Ginny Weasley and began whispering excitedly.

* * *

"Psst! Harry!" Harry looked up at Ron, who held out three fingers. Harry glanced at his own paper and saw that he had not gotten that one either. He shrugged helplessly at Ron, who shook his head, scribbled something on his paper, and brought it up to Professer Flitwick. Harry did the same, hoping for the best.

"That pop quiz was a killer!" Ron said complained to Harry as they left Charms and headed for the Great Hall for lunch a little while later. 

"You're telling me! I guessed on about 98% of that thing! The only thing I got was the line that said 'name'!" Hermione giggled and Harry stared at her.

"It wasn't _that _funny," he said. Hermione blushed but before she could say anything Fred and George spotted the three and headed over to join them.

"What's wrong with you guys? You look like your dog just died!" George commented.

"Charms quiz," Hermione said. 

"Sucks to be you," Fred said with a wink. "Those things are vicious!"

"You're telling me," Ron said with a moan.

"Weasly?" came McGonagall's voice from behind.

"Yes?" said the three boys, turning in unison. 

"Uh, Fred," she amended. One of the twins stepped forward.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Don't you take that tone with me," she said coldly. "A serious accusation has been made against you and all I have to say is it better not be true."

"Accusation? But I haven't done anything…recently." he added hastily. 

"Mr. Malfoy here has informed me that he has witnessed you-here, step into my office," McGonagal said, gesturing to the crowd that was gathering. Fred followed her into the room and the others entered behind him.

"Never, in all my life, have I ever seen such atrocious behavior from a Gryffindor!" the professor practically hollered.

"I'm sorry, but…what behavior?" Fred asked meekly.

"What behavior? WHAT BEHAVIOR?" The others cringed at the shrill note in her voice.

"You and your-your-your drugs!" she spat out.

"Drugs?" Ron gasped. "Fred-what's she talking about?" Fred could only stare, mouth hanging wide open.

"Draco Malfoy reported to me this morning," she explained sharply, "that last night he spotted Fred Weasley smoking-smoking- cannabis!"

"What?" Ron asked.

"Pot," Hermione translated in a whisper.

"POT!" the students cried in unison.

"That's bullshit!" George yelled.

"Watch your mouth Weasley!"

"Fred would never do pot!" Ron shrieked. "He's done some pretty stupid things in his life but he'd never stoop that low!"

"I would love to agree with you, Ron, but only one thing will tell us for certain. Mr. Weasley, please empty your pockets." McGonagall looked desperate to believe that Fred was innocent and he looked relieved that this was the only test he would have to do. He gladly spilled their contents onto the professor's table.

"Let's see, we've got a couple galleons…some lint…a few candy wrappers…another galleon…more lint…more….and-what the fuck…" 

Fred looked more terrified than he ever had in his life. From his left pocket we pulled a package of something Harry recognized all too well.

"Ah. I am afraid that this is indeed muggle pot, Fred," McGonagall said almost wistfully.

"But it's not mine-" Fred cried. McGonagal held up a hand to silence him. 

"You have been caught red-handed, Mr. Weasley. This will, of course, result in detention longer than you can imagine, Professor Dumbledore will be notified immediately, and you will be suspended from all extracurricular activities-including quittich." Fred and George gasped. Everyone knew that the Gryffindor team depended largely on the Weasley twins to protect them from flying bludgers. 

"But you can't do that!" Fred whimpered.

"Oh, I can, and I will," McGonagal said. "The team will indeed suffer, but there is no one to blame but yourself. George," she said, shifting her gaze to Fred's twin, "I suggest that you and the rest of the team organize try-outs to find a replacement for Fred." George nodded but it was obvious that he was not going let his brother get kicked off the team just like that. 

"Now, I suggest that you five head down to lunch. I'll be keeping this-" she laid a hand on the pot- "for evidence." Fred shot McGonagall one last furtive glance and hurried out of the room with George on his heels. Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly followed.

"I don't believe that bitch!" George shouted at soon as they were around the corner. "How dare she accuse you like that!"

"Well…she _did_ have the evidence…" Ron said slowly. Fred stared at his brother for a moment, then exclaimed,

"You don't actually believe her do you?" 

"What, do you think someone just put the pot in your pocket to get you in trouble?"

"Yes!" Fred and George yelled together.

"But who…" Harry said quietly.

"Malfoy!" Hermione shouted abruptly.

"Where?" The others turned around looking him.

"No, no," Hermione said slowly as if speaking to a child. "McGonagal said it was Malfoy who turned Fred in, so that means _he_ made up that shit about seeing Fred smoking last night and he must have planted the pot in his pocket this morning."

" That bastard!" Fred cried. He's gonna cost me everything.

"Don't worry, Fred, we'll prove it was him and get 'im a life sentence in Azkaban!" Fred managed a small smile at George's animation. "You'll help us, right Ron?"

"Hell yeah! Malfoy doesn't get my brother kicked off the quittich team and walk free!" His voice was full of hate, but Harry could see a distant look in his eyes.

* * *

That afternoon, after their last class had ended, Harry and Ron sat in the boys' dorm killing time before dinner. 

"Hey, Harry, do you think I'd make a good quittich player?" Ron asked thoughtfully. 

"Yeah, I bet you would," Harry answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Ron said wistfully. Harry followed his gaze to a poster on the wall he hadn't noticed before:

****

Quittich Try-Outs

__

Date: Saturday, September 8

Time: 2:00-4:00 PM

Place: The Quittich field

Position: Beater

__

"Are you thinking of trying out?" Harry asked incredulously. 

"Kinda," Ron admitted. 

"But Fred-"

"I know!" Ron cried. "I know they'd disown me if they knew I was thinking about it, but Harry, it's my dream! You know I've always wanted to play professional qittich." Harry nodding, remembering the many times Ron had brought it up. 

"This could be my chance! But I'm torn….to clear my innocent brother's name or to make my dream come true?" Harry chewed at his lip. This was quite a dilemma.

"I'm sorry, I sound like a soap opera," Ron said with a dry laugh.

"I dunno…sleep on it tonight; try-outs aren't till tomorrow. You have almost 24 hours to decide."

"Yeah, I guess," Ron said slowly. "Anyway, shouldn't you be getting ready for your date?" he said, finally grinning.

Harry elbowed him and the two headed down to dinner.


	4. The Study Date

Chapter 4

****

The Study Date

"Ron, stop it!" Harry said, coughing as Ron spritzed him with cologne after cologne.

"Ugh, I smell like a freakin perfume counter! Take a whiff!" Harry held out an arm to Ron who backed away.

"Wow. You're right. Here, stick it in the shower," Harry rolled up his sleeve and allowed Ron to wash away the horrid stench.

Ew, it's not going away!"

"Here, Ron, use a cleansing charm."

"I don't know any!"

"There's your brothers, ask them!

"Harry, no."

"Why?"

"You know…."

"Ok fine, I'll do it. Fred, George!" He waved them over and the twins soon joined them in the bathroom.

"What's up midget and friend of midget?"

"We need a cleansing spell," Harry told them.

"A cleansing spell? For what?"

"For this," Ron said, and he shoved Harry's arm in George's face.

"Whew! Guess you do! Let's see…you could try a sterilizing charm."

"How do you do that?"

"Here, gimme your arm. _Stidoperious Incantara!_ There you go, all better."

"Thanks!" Harry said, admiring his arm. 

"Now, Harry, if you've got a date just try some love cologne. I think I've got some…" Fred rummaged around in his pocket. "Yep, here ya go." He tossed a small bottle covered in hearts to Harry.

"Thanks, but no thanks." He handed the bottle back to Fred. "I wanna win this girl on my own."

Fred shrugged. "Your choice." They turned to leave. "Oh, and let me know if you find a way to get Malfoy, will ya?"

"Of course," Harry said. 

"Ok, well, I guess you'll just have to go as you are. Hermione's probably waiting."

"Ok." Harry took a deep breath. I'm ready. Books?" Ron handed him his Transfiguration book, a roll of parchment, and his quill from Hermione.

"Let's do this," Harry said and he left the bathroom and began walking down the stairs.

"Youch! Don't pull so hard!"

"Sorry 'Mione, but it's gotta be tight or it'll fall out."

"Ugh. I don't see what I'm getting so dressed up for. I'm sure Harry's just going to wear his school robes or muggle jeans and a sweater."

"Then he has no respect," Ginny lectured her friend. She giggled. "Although you're probably right, you know. With Ron and his non-existent sense of style Harry's bound to look like just stepped out of dumpster."

"That's impossible. Harry could never be that ugly." She sighed. "He's so dreamy…" 

"Girl, you're way in love with this kid. You better not screw this up!" Hermione stood up and threw a brush at Ginny.

"Hey! Ow! Ok, ok, I'm sorry!" Hermione walked over to the mirror to admire herself. She had to admit Ginny had done an excellent job. She had chosen a short jean skirt and a red camisole for Hermione with a tan jacket zipped up halfway. Her front hair was up in a ponytail with a few wavy bangs on either side hanging loose.

"Cool but casual," Ginny said, coming up behind Hermione and leaning on her shoulder.

"It does look nice," Hermione admitted.

"Of course it does! I did it!" 

"Shut up!" Hermione smacked Ginny with her Transfiguration book.

"Ok, you better get going," Ginny yelled, running away from Hermione.

"You're just saying that to get away," Hermione said slyly.

"That too. But seriously, Harry's probably waiting."

Hermione sighed. "You're right. See ya!"

"I'll be up!" Ginny called as Hermione walked over to the stairs. "Be sure to give me every last detail!" Hermione waved her off and began to descend into the common room. Across from the room she caught Harry's eye, also on his way down. She grinned then shyly looked away. 

"Ok, relax," she told herself. "It's not like this is a date or anything, just a little homework help. But she could see that Harry hadn't thought of it as _just_ a study date either. He did wear jeans but they looked brand new, his shirt looked way sexy showing off his strong biceps, and he had gelled his hair forward, spiking it up slightly at the front.

"Hey 'Mione,' he greeted her. "Wanna sit over there?" He pointed to a small couch and a coffee table in the corner near the fireplace. She nodded. It was a good thing he was doing all the talking because she wasn't sure she could say a single syllable right now. They walked over to the couch, laid their books out on the table, and began to study.

"Look at those two lovebirds," Ginny said dreamily to her brother. 

"Why did they even bother with the books?" Ron agreed. "We all know they're gonna need a fire extinguisher by the time they go to bed." 

Ron and his sister had met up on the balcony overlooking the common room to watch the study date take place. They had both anticipated something hot and heavy but, to their large disappointments, it looked like a normal study session so far. 

"C'mon, Harry, kiss her already!"

"Ron, it's only 8:00. There's still people down there. They're not going to do anything with people watching."

"True…I guess we should give them some privacy anyway." Ginny and the two left for their separate dorms.

"Ok, I get that, but how do you get rid of the tail? Ever time I turn a mouse into a cookie it's still got this ugly snakelike thing coming out of it." 

"I guess so," said Hermione with a laugh. On the coffee table lay a dozen sugar cookies that looked perfectly edible- aside from the mouse-tails protruding from them.

"I think you need to annunciate more on "_pastrious_." It's not totally getting that you want a cookie; if you don't emphasize it enough it'll think you want a part-mouse, part-cookie."

"Ok. One more try." Harry picked up his wand, aimed it at the last mouse, and said loudly, "_mousicious to pastrious_!" The mouse's torso became flat as a pancake. The head was sucked in and the cookie began to take form. Then, to Harry's delight, the tail wound around the cookie, disappearing as it spun until only a tasty looking sugar cookie remained. 

"Harry, you did it!" Hermione planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Harry suddenly realized how quiet it was. The common room was empty. He stared into Hermione's sparkling eyes, cupped her chin is his hand, and kissed her. Her lips were soft and sweeter than sugar. Her body quivered in anticipation and he knew she wanted more. He removed his hand and allowed her to kiss him back, harder this time. 

Harry allowed his free hand to slide down her back, pulling her down onto the couch with him. His mouth opened wider and he let his tongue out. Surprisingly, Hermione let him in and the kiss became even more passionate. 

Harry let go of all thought and let himself become lost in the kiss. He had never felt more alive. After a few minutes they broke apart, Harry lying on the couch and Hermione wrapped around him.

"Harry," she whispered.

"Hermione," he said hoarsely. "You have no idea how long…" His voice was lost in another deep, searching kiss. He has waited four long years to tell Hermione how much he loved her. _But it was worth the wait, _he decided. He would have waited a hundred years to be here, holding Hermione in his arms. 

His had crept up her back and he found himself undoing her bra strap. Harry was shocked at his own daring but even more amazed that she let him. He kissed her harder and harder, moving his hand up her shirt. 

This was why he had come to Hogwarts. He had come for Hermione.  



	5. The TryOut

Chapter 5

The Try-Out

At 7:00 sharp the next morning Ginny Weasley's eyes snapped open at the sound of her alarm.

_Hermione,_ was the first thought that popped into her head. She'd waited up all night but Hermione had never come up to the dorm. Ginny rolled over, shut off her alarm, and glanced into Hermione's empty bed. 

"Ok, don't panic," she said to herself. "She must still be downstairs." Quietly she climbed out of bed and crept into the hallway. At the top of the stairs she saw Ron sitting in a chair near the unlit fireplace, glaring at the couch. He glanced up at he and motioned her to come down.

"What is it?" Ginny asked her brother. "Did you find Hermione?" Ron wordlessly pointed a grubby finger at the couch. Ginny glanced at it and gasped.

"Oh no!" she cried, her hand flying up to her mouth.

"'Friad so," Ron said. Lying on the couch, sound asleep and nestled in Harry's arms was Hermione, a peaceful smile on her face. Ginny noticed right away that her shirt was off her shoulder, her lipstick was smeared, and her bra was on the floor.

"Uh oh," she whispered, picking it up and shoving it in her pocket. "I wonder what they did last night?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ron asked. "After we left the common room everyone else went up to bed, they started kissing and before you knew it they were at second base." There was a moment of silence, then Ginny spoke up.

"Do you think we should bring them upstairs?"

"Nah. They looked like they don't wanna be disturbed." He was right. They looked as peaceful as angels.

"But other people will start waking up soon. If they see the two of them like this rumors will spread like wildfire." Ron considered this for moment then agreed.

"Ok, I'll take Harry, you take Hermione." Ginny knelt in front of the couch and gently shook Hermione.

"Hey, 'Mione, time to get up." 

"Mumph!" Hermione grunted. Ginny finally managed to wake her up and drag her up to the girls' common room while Ron escorted Harry to the boys'.

Ginny helped Hermione onto her bed while she sat on her own. Hermione was finally starting to come to.

"Ok, spill. What happened last night?"

"Huh? What?"

"You and Harry! Last I checked you two were turning rodents into cookies, then this morning I walk downstairs to find you wrapped in his arms with this on the floor!" She took Hermione's bra out of her pocket and flung it at her.

"Oh, _that._." A dopey smile crossed Hermione's face. "Well, we were…then everybody leftt and he kissed me, so I kissed him, and before I knew it we were making out."

"And this?" Ginny picked up the bra and dangling it in front of Hermione's face.

"Well," she said, snatching it out of her friend's hand and tossing it into the hamper, "I felt his hand undoing it, and then he was reaching up my shirt-"

"That pervert!" Ginny screeched.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Ginny, we're fifteen," Hermione said airily. "It's really not that big of a deal. Now, I'm going down to breakfast. Coming?" Ginny shook her head. Hermione shrugged and headed downstairs.

Meanwhile, Ron was questioning Harry in the boys' dorm.

"So, did you get some action last night?" Ron asked with a sly grin.

"Maybe," Harry said. Ron glared at him.

"Ok, ok," Harry said with a laugh, and he gave him a play-by-play of the previous night.

"Wow," Ron said, looking extremely impressed. "So you felt her rack and everything?"

"Yeah…" Harry drifted off.

"What?"

"It's kind of a personal thing, Ron. I mean, this was no ordinary hook-up. I think me and Hermione really have something."

"Oh. Cool. Oh, did I tell you? While you were macking on Hermione last night I was thinking about this whole quittich thing and I'm gonna try out. I figure if we clear Fred's name that's great, if we don't and I make it then cool, I get to play, if I don't make it then Fred'll never know. I know George won't be at the try-outs to tell him."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said. "Now I don't know about you but I could use some food." The boys headed down to the common room.

"Hey, Harry!" Hermione called, running up to him from across the room and wrapping him in a hug. 

"Hey 'Minone," he said, giving her a quick kiss.

"Oh, God, don't you two start," Ron complained, shielding himself from them with his hands. The couple touched heads and giggled for a moment, then strolled down to the Great Hall with Ron.

* * *

"Ok, Ron, remember, let the Firebolt guide you. It's smarter than you think."

"Be sure not to look into the sun or you won't be able to see the bludgers!"

"Use those muscles!"

"Don't forget that there are two bludgers!"

Ron's head was spinning with the last minute advice that Harry and Hermione were yelling to him as he mounted Harry's Firebolt at try-outs that afternoon. He was to roam the quittich field with the two bludergers flying around for five minutes. Basically, the person who hit the most bludgers in the time limit would become the new beater. Twelve people had gone before Ron and he was the last person to go.

"Wow, he really is good," Hermione said as Ron swiftly maneuvered the broom into the center of the field. 

"On my whistle!" Oliver Wood yelled. "Three…two…" the whistle sounded and the bludgers were released. Rather than wait around for them to come to him as the others had done, Ron chased them one by one, cutting them off and smacking them out of the playing area.

"He's got a good arm," Harry said.

"Mmmmmm," Hermione agreed, snuggling up next to Harry. He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

"Time!" Wood called. Harry and Hermione stood up and ran over to Ron as he dismounted. 

"I hit 26 bludgers!" He cried happily. "That's twice as many as Amy Martson and she had the top score before me!"

"You're a natural," Harry agreed.

"The shoo-in," Hermione added.

And he was. Wood called Harry over to vote and they soon returned with the rest of the team. Harry excitedly told Ron that they had voted unanimously that he would be the new beater. 

"I'll let you tell George yourself," Wood said. Ron's happiness dropped a few notches. His brothers were not going to be happy about this.

"I'll see you two at practice tonight," Wood added. "Our first match against Ravenclaw is in a month and we need to start conditioning. The boys nodded and, along with Hermione, followed the others inside to celebrate. 


	6. The Spy

****

Chapter 6: The Spy

To say that Ron's brothers were not happy would be incorrect. They were downright furious. They refused to speak to Ron and George took a sick day from practice that evening. However, to Harry's amazement, he was still determined to clear Fred's name.

The next day, Saturday, Harry and Hermione sat in the common room with Ron eating a lazy afternoon snack of nachos. 

"Ok, so it's Malfoy," Ron said, rubbing his temples. 'Now how do we prove it?"

"Well, what we need is a whiteness, someone who saw Malfoy do it," Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, um, that'd be great, but since no one's come forward so far I'm guessing the only whiteness were Crab and Goyale."

"No way they'd turn Malfoy in," Harry said.

"Unless we gave them a reason to." 

"Ron, that's ridiculous," Hermione lectured him. "There's no way they'd believe anything we said about Malfoy. I mean we'd have to have evidence, but the only people good at forging and counterfeiting and stuff who'd help us aren't speaking to you…I see," she said, noticing harry and Ron's grins. 

"Yeah. We get Fred and George to help us with the promise that it'll clear Fred's name."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said. 

Hermione sighed. "Ok, ok, I'll help."

"Great!" Ron said. "But until then, I've got a quittich match to prepare for!"

* * *

"Moo."

"Oom."

"Roar."

"Bark."

"Meow."

"Grrr."

Because Snape was taking an unexpected sick day potions class had become a study hall under the not so watchful eye of the substitute. However, only Hermione had taken advantage of the time to do homework. The rest of the students were trying not to die from boredom. 

"Ok, guys, lets cut the crap," Harry said. "There's gotta be something better to do."

"Cards anyone?" A few people shot annoyed looks at Neville, who shrugged.

"So, Weasley, I hear you're the new beater," Malfoy said. Ron cringed but stood his ground.

"Yeah, that's right. Why, you worried I'm gonna smack a bludger your way?" A few people giggled.

"You wish!" Malfoy scoffed. "I have better things to do than sit around talking to you."

"Yeah, then go do them," Ron shot back. Malfoy spun on his heel and sat down in his chair, all eyes on him. A chorus of laughter broke out among the students as Malfoy found nothing to do besides convert oxygen to carbon dioxide. 

"Now, now, class, settle down," the sub called weakly. The students obediently took their seats. Harry slapped Ron a quiet high five under the desk. Harry suddenly felt someone's gaze burning into the back of his neck. He slowly turned and met Malfoy's blazing eyes.

"You," he mouthed, pointing at Harry, "_dead!"_ and he drew his finger across his throat. Harry swallowed tightly and suddenly realized that his scar was burning.

"Hey, 'Minone, you doing anything tonight?" Harry asked his girlfriend as they left potions a little while later.

"No, why?"

"Wanna go out?"

"Sure! I'll meet you outside by Hagrid's, 7:30ish?"

"Ok. We can go for a walk or something."

"Sounds great! See you then!" Hermione gave harry a quick kiss and dashed off to her next class.

"I'll tell Hermione a bout my scar later," he decided. It felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was still somewhat perturbed, though. Whenever his scar burned it meant danger was near.

That evening Ron and Harry were finishing dinner in the Great Hall when Harry told him about his scar.

"Harry, you gotta tell Dumbledore. It's always meant that You-Know-Who is near, and with him on the loose now you don't wanna take any chances. I'll go with you when we're done if you want."

"Nah, I better go now if I'm gonna catch him," Harry said. "I'm meeting Hermione in half and hour."

"Okay. Catcha later," Ron said, reaching for a drumstick as Harry got up and left.

"Ok, so I'll just tell him that it was bothering me...oh, I sound like such a baby! Still, Ron's right…it's always that meant Voldamort was near…" Suddenly harry looked up and realized he was at Dumbledore's office.

"Professor?" He called, knocking on the stone door.

"Harry? Is that you? Come right in." The door magically slid open and Harry walked inside.

"Now, how can I help you today, Harry?" The old man looked wiser than ever; his white beard had grown several inches over the summer and his wrinkles had deepened. Harry suddenly felt like a two-year old crying about a skinned knee.

"Harry? Are you all right?" Dumbledore's deep voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts.

"Ah, yes, Professor. My scar-it was hurting." Dumbledore's kind smile was wiped away at once and replaced with a worried frown.

"Harry-are you sure?" He nodded.

"Well, then, if you'll excuse me, I must see someone." Harry nodded and turned to leave, but he was smacked in the head with the door and was knocked to the ground.

"PROFESSOR!!!!" they yelled in a shrill voice.

"My dear man, what on Earth is wrong?"

"The…Lord…Hogwarts…" 

"Now, now, Serverus, take a deep breath." Serverus! Harry groaned and opened his eyes. Snape was frantically shaking the professor, his hair astray and his clothing torn.

Snape took a few minutes to catch his breath then spoke. 

"As you know I was meeting with You-Know-Who, waiting for him to fill me in on his plan." He paused for a breath, then went on, not aware of Harry cowering in the corner, nursing his bruised head. 

"Well, he's planning an attack all right. Tomorrow night at 8:00 sharp Voldemort is brining his army of dementors and God knows what else _here to the school!_" Harry gasped and Snape whirled around.

"POTTER!!!!!" 

"Serverus, leave him be," Dumbledore said calmly. "Harry, please go back to class. Quietly," he added sternly. Harry nodded and ran off but he had no intention of keeping quiet. His peers had the right to know that their lives were in danger. 

Hermione! He came to an abrupt halt. She was waiting outside for him! And with Voldemort on the loose she was in grave danger. 

Harry spun around and raced out onto the grounds. 

"Hermione!" he called. "Hey 'Mione!" She was no where in sight. Just as Harry began to panic he heard her muffled voice and what sounded like a struggle in the bushes to his left. He darted over just in time to see her shoes disappear into the forest in the arms a large robed man. 

"Hey, you, stop!" Harry shouted. He suddenly wished he hadn't. 

Hermione's kidnapper slowly turned and bore his deep red eyes into Harry, who nearly fainted from shock and fright. Voldemort flashed Harry one last victorious grin before fading into the forest.


	7. The Hogwars Address

****

Chapter 7: The Hogwarts Address 

Harry was unable to sleep that night. Dumbledore did not make an announcement to the school but he was sure that he had informed the teachers. What worried Harry was that in the distance he could see the large creatures and shadows forming a barricade in the distance. 

He had, of course, told Ron, but he'd sworn him to secrecy. Harry had told Hermione's friends that she would be studying late in the library and did not want to be disturbed.

"24 hours," he said to himself, laying in bed that night. "One day. That's all I have to save Hermione."

Some how he managed to drift off into a nightmare-filled sleep around 2:00 AM. He dreamt of Voldemort's horrid face, of the evil, soul-thirsty dementors, and of Hermione. 

At 7:00 AM the students were woken by the teachers and hurried into the Great Hall. Ron through Harry a knowing glance and he nodded

In the Great Hall Dumbledore stood in the front of the room by himself. The other teachers were stationed by the tables and guarding the doors. Harry gulped. A lot of things were about to change forever. 

Dumbledore then closed his eyes, cleared his throat and began the speech that would always be remembered and recited by people everywhere, the Hogwarts Address.

_"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, teachers and staff, we are gathered here to accept the fate which has fallen upon us. In less than 18 hours we will be under attack by the most feared wizard of all time: Lord Voldemort. _

"He will attack Hogwarts School at approximately 8:00 this evening and we can be assured that he will bring with him the dementors of Azkaban and his dearest friends among many others.

"I would like everyone to know that you will be perfectly safe locked deep underground where you cannot be touched. The teachers, myself, prefects, and our allies who are able to reach us by nightfall will join together to fight this battle. Any student who is over the age of 16 is also eligible to fight if he or she wishes. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. If this battle is lost the world will fall to their knees is fear of Voldemort. We will not allow this to happen! We will not allow evil to triumph over truth and justice. We will emerge victorious! We will win this duel of the fates. That is all."

Dumbledore stepped down from the stage to complete silence. Then Harry and Ron began tentatively clapping and the rest of the school quickly joined in. The thundering applause lasted for a full five minutes. 

When it had finally quieted down the teachers hurried the students into the dungeon. They began to settle down but McGonagall, using her favorite pen that she always kept with her, tapped a code into the wall and a secret door opened up. It reminded Harry of Diagon Ally. 

They walked down a small, damp tunnel for about a minute before arriving on a spacious room that Harry could only describe as gigantic. 

"Five of the Dursley's house could easily fit in here," he whispered to Ron.

"No shit," he muttered, entranced by its size. 

The students crowded into the room and McGonagall gave them a brief tour. Five rows of twin beds took up three quarters of the room and the rest was filled with couches, books, toys, and cordless TV's. 

"It's almost like Disney World!" Harry breathed to Ron.

"Come again?"

"Never mind, just…it's wicked."

"You're telling me."

"And there's no barrier between the boys and girls," Neville added with a wink at Harry. It was now common knowledge that he and Hermione were going out.

"Um…yeah." Harry forced a smile, but Neville didn't fall for it.

"She still hasn't come back from the library?"

"Look, I know where she is, but…" Harry dragged Neville into a corner and Ron followed.

"Last night while I was looking for her, I heard her scream…I can to her, and…_he_ had her." Neville didn't need to ask who "he" was. 

"Shouldn't you tell somebody? McGonagall's right over there. C'mon!" Harry reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged over to the teacher who was just about to leave.

"McGonagall, Harry has something to tell you."

"Not now, Potter. I must return to Dumbledore." 

"But it's about-" she slammed the door in his face.

"You-Know-Who," he whispered. For the first time in his life Harry was unable to force the feared name to his lips.

That's it! I promise the next chapter or 2 will be up on 3/31/03. I can only log in at school and usually only on Mondays so be patient!


	8. The Mundi Curse

****

Chapter 8

The Mundi Curse

A/N: This is kinda a short and boring chapter but very important! I promise the next one will be more exciting.

****

Harry couldn't sleep that night. How was he supposed to, he thought, with the battle that would determine the fate of the world raging less than a mile above him and the love of his life possibly dead?

_No,_ he reasoned with himself. _Voldemort is holding her hostage. She's his bait. If he kills her he knows I won't come. She's still alive_. If only he felt that confident.

"Ok, there's no way I'm gonna get any sleep tonight." Harry climbed out of bed and crept over to the bookshelves. There was not another soul in awake.

"_Luminos,"_ he muttered, illuminating the various books available to him. 

"Let's see…Charms, Volume Three…Hogwarts, a History…Basic Spells for the new Witch or Wizard…Advanced Divination…wow don't these sound fun." With a disgusted face Harry reached for Transfiguration, Level 6 on the bottom shelf. 

The book seemed to be rooted to the shelf. He yanked at it from every angle until he gave up and sat down on the floor in a huff.

"Stupid freakin book," he mumbled, glaring at it. He reached over shoved it backwards. 

"What the fuck…" The book slid silently aside as if on a track, revealing a dusty scroll that looked a thousand years old. Afraid that a single touch would make it fall apart Harry gingerly picked it up between two fingers and unrolled it on a coffee table. It was small, only about a foot across, but it was covered in rows upon rows of pictures.

"Egyptian, huh?" Harry surmised. He quickly glanced around to be sure that no one was watching. Everyone lay sound asleep in their beds. 

"Ok, now, a translating spell…how the hell do you do that?" Harry spent the next few minutes leafing through _Transfiguration, Level 6_ until he found a spell that seemed adequate. 

"Ok, let's do this!" He said, rubbing his hands together. Picking up his wand he recited from the book:

__

"Iniciota,

Incantan,

Egyptian to English,

Romatan"

With a final flick of his wand he watched in fascination as the pictures on the parchment swirled into a large puddle of ink and then, as if guided by a pen, scribbled lines of English cursive across the page.

When it finished Harry bent over the scroll and scanned it.

"Catachnati Curse…Ilumni Hex…Enchantment of Death…Esciblent Bewitchment…Mundi Curse…bloody hell, these are ancient curses! Must've been lost over the years…" his voice trailed off as he read in depth some of the curse desriptions.

"Wicked…the Escibilent Bewitchment can paralyze a person-and there's no counter-curse!" He scanned the rest, then gasped as he came to the Mundi Curse.

"This curse is the most powerful piece of magic ever created," he read aloud. "It was made by the God Anubis in case there came such a time when evil was to take over the world. Well, speak of the devil!" Harry read on, intrigued.

"This curse will annihilate the soul it is personalized for and will destroy and possibility of their resurrection. The last line can be added to destroy their allies as well." 

Harry didn't move a muscle, didn't breathe or even think for the next full minute. This was how he would kill Voldemort. He would completely, utterly remove him from the world. Totally gone. He glanced back down at the scroll and saw something written in very tiny print:

"Warning: There is a 99.9% chance that the person who performs the Mundi Curse will vanish along with the soul it is aimed at. WHAT!!!!" Several people stirred in bed and Harry inwardly yelled at himself. He would have to take that chance. He had to do this. He had destroyed Voldemort once and he was going to do it again.

He folded the scroll into a small square and shoved it into his robe pocket, then walked over to Ron's bed.

"Ron," he whispered, shaking his friend hard.

"Huh? Harry? What…"

"Ron, get up. We're gonna save the world."


	9. The Escape

****

Chapter 9

The Escape

"Wow, Harry, this is heavy stuff."

"Yeah, no shit. It's gonna be hard but I have to do it."

"So, Mr. Macho, how do you plan to get outta here?"

"I-" Ron smirked at Harry.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Does that mean you've got a plan?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Nope, it just means that's what I thought," Ron said, laying down on an old broken couch. "And besides, what are you gonna do when you do get out of here? Just walk around till you find Voldemort in the middle of the battle and then be like, 'oh, hold still a minute, will ya? I just gotta wipe you off the face of the planet.' Get real Harry."

"Actually, I figured I'd use a charm to get my invisibility cloak and Firebolt, then _fly_ around till I find him." He flashed Ron a triumphant grin.

"Ok, well, seeing as how the fate of the world is in your hands you might wanna get started."

"Right! Ok now…let's see…a charm…" Harry looked pleading at Ron but he just grinned and shook his head.

"Harry, even I know this! Imagine, the fate of the world is in the hands of a kid who's stupider than me!" Harry glared at him.

"Ron, a little help?" It was more of a command than a question.

"Ok, ok. You might wanna try an 'acio" charm."

"Right!" Harry snapped his fingers and cleared his throat. "_Acio Firebolt!"_ Harry held out a sturdy hand and a few moments later his broom whooshed through the thick stone wall and landed with a thud into Harry's hand.

"Ow!" Harry cried. "Fuck it! That hurt!" Ron smirked at Harry, who glared back.

"Ok, Harry, what's next?" 

"The cloak, I guess," Harry replied with a shrug. He set the Firebolt down the couch and rubbed his hands together.

"Ok… "_Acio Invisibility Cloak!_" Several seconds the cloak zoomed through the wall and flew into Harry's hand. It was great to feel the silk of his greatest weapon again. It brought about a feeling of safety. 

"Um, Harry? Are you really that dense?" Harry looked at Ron.

"What're you talking about?" Ron sighed.

"Harry," he said as if talking to a two-year-old, "How did the things get in here?"

"I charmed them in," he replied. "Why?"

"No, no, after you did the spell, what did they have to go through to get here?"

"The hallway?" Harry asked, genuinely confused.

"God, Harry, how dense can you be?" Ron cried. "The wall! They had to go through the fuckin wall!"

"Oh! Yeah! That's right! So?"

"Oh my God. Harry, that means that you can charm anything through there! Including something to break out of here with!"

"Duh! Why didn't I see if before?"

"Cause you're a gay fag?" Harry punched Ron lightly in the shoulder.

"Hey, at least I can get a girl."

"Ok, ok. So what're you gonna do?" Ron asked, back to seriousness. Harry thought for a moment.

"Well, McGonagall would have put a spell on the door to lock it, so we're gonna have to do this the muggle way." Harry cleared his throat and held out his wand. "_Acio statue_!" Ron looked baffled but didn't comment. A few moments later the heavy gargoyle statue from outside Dumbledore's office whooshed through the door and flung itself onto a sofa nearby. 

"Wow." Ron looked as if he was about to wet his pants but Harry continued.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!" _Harry raised his wand and pointed the statue into a hovering state. He brought the wand behind his head and flicked it forward with all his might. The gargoyle hurtled by him and smashed against the wooden door. 

"Aaahhhhh!" Ron screamed. Several students shot out of bed and many more slowly woke up.

"Harry? What're you doing?" Neville asked sleepily.

"Busting outta here," Harry answered. Grabbing the invisibility cloak and scroll of spells he mounted the Firebolt.

"Well, Ron, I guess this is the last time I'll ever see you."

"Harry, don't say that!"

"It's true, Ron. You read the scroll. You've been a really great friend. Tell Hermione I love her." Harry waved goodbye to all who were watching and flew off into the night.

Next chapter will be up 4/14-my b-day!J -and I promise Harry will meet up with Voldemort finally!


	10. The Duel of the Fates

****

Chapter 10

The Duel of the Fates

Harry sped through the silent hallways of the school and made his way to the enormous doors that would lead him outside. Gulping and shaking violently from head to toe, Harry reached out, grabbed the handle and tugged.

"Dammit! Fuckin door is locked!" he cried. Harry dug out his wand and pointed it at the door.

"_Aloha Mora!"_ Sparks shot out of his wand and incinerated instantly on the stone door.

"I don't have time for this!" Harry screamed, slamming his fists at the door. "They must have put a spell on it," he muttered to himself. "That's why it was so simple for me to escape the dungeon." He gave a big sigh. "So how the fuck do I get outta here?" 

Leaning against the door he slid down to a sitting position and hung his head. "There's gotta be a way…" As if a light bulb had appeared over his head Harry snapped his fingers and grabbed the curse scroll. He quickly scanned it then stopped at the Catachnati Curse.

"This curse will overpower any spell, charm, or enchantment used to obstruct a pathway." Harry grinned. "Hermione, here I come."

It was daytime, probably about noon, Harry figured, but the sky was so dark and dreary it looked more like night. Silhouettes of people and magical creatures darted around the sky. Colorful blasts of light, energy, and God knew what else shot around like bolts of lightning as the two sides shot spell after spell, charm after charm at each other. 

Suddenly, amid the screams, cries, spells, and groans filling the sky, Harry heard an evil cackle that sounded all too familiar. His head snapped to the right just in time to see a blinding green flash turn Professor Sprout to a pile of dust only a few hundred meters away.

Harry opened his mouth to scream but a large, sweaty hand clamped it shut. 

"Harry Potter. Just what the hell do you think you're doing here?" The gruff voice was barley audible but Harry would know it anywhere. He shoved the hand off his face and spoke. 

"Snape, in my pocket I have the curse that will kill Voldemort and anyone who is his ally. Now if you'll let me go, I'll be off to save the world." 

"Potter, do you really think that one measly little student can do what the entire light side of magic has not been able to for the past 18 hours?" His voice was as snide as ever.

Had it really been that long? Harry stared at Snape and finally took all of him in. His tattered robe, his bloody face, his severed and badly bandaged leg. Harry gulped.

"Yes." Leaving a stunned Snape Harry mounted his broom and flew away, hugging the school as he surveyed the area. 

It was awful. The ground was just as horrible as the sky. One-on-one duels took place and spells were cast in every direction. Balls and streams of light were fired madly across the area as far as Harry could see. Dead bodies from both sides lay strewn around. Only a few feet away Harry spied Professor McGonagall. Without hesitation he leaped off the Firebolt and dashed to her side.

"Professor!" he whimpered. Was she dead? "Wake up! Oh, please be ok!" He shook McGonagall and got a faint moan out of her. "Phew! Let's get you to safety." Harry grabbed both of the professor's hands and dragged her to an out-of-the-way spot.

"You'll be safe here." Wishing he could stay longer, Harry ran over to his broom and mounted it, slipping the invisibility cloak over his body as he flew into the heart of the madness.

Harry had an unbelievably hard time controlling his emotions as he searched for Voldemort. He witnessed Oliver Wood blown off his broom, Madam Pomfrey thrown into the Dark Forest by a powerful charm, and a group of house elves incinerated with a single flick of a wand. Harry hoped beyond all hope that Dobby wasn't among them. 

Everywhere Harry flew death seemed to be abundant. It was clear that the Light side was losing desperately.

"I've got to act now," Harry decided. Used to searching for a golden ball while in the sky it was slightly more difficult for Harry to locate Voldemort but he simply followed the green flashes and the feeling of dread in his stomach. 

The man stood only 25 feet in front of him, completely oblivious to Harry. Everyone was. He was safe. Harry laughed to himself at the irony of it. Here he was, in the middle of the battle for control of the world and he was perfectly safe. 

"Ok, Harry. Time to quit stalling. Time to save the world." Harry reached into his pocket for the scroll. It was gone.


	11. The Fall of Voldemort

****

Chapter 11

"NO!" Harry gasped. Voldemort spun around, his glowing red eyes boring into Harry. The boy didn't move a muscle and Voldemort glanced around quickly then turned back to the woman he was preparing to murder. Just as he had murdered Harry's parents. After the battle was over some little boy or girl would learn that their mother was dead. They would have to endure what Harry had growing up. He couldn't let that happen.

"DIE, YOU BASTARD!!!!" Harry hurtled through the air and grabbed Voldemort from behind, holding him in a headlock. The cloak slid off and the woman screamed. 

"You killed my parents. Prepare to die." Before Voldemort could register the fact the greatest enemy was holding him captive, Harry grabbed his wand and held to the Dark Lord's head. 

"_Receedend Levinota!"_ Harry cried, spitting out the first words that came to mind. Voldemort went spiraling through the air and landing with a thud a few yards away. Harry took a step toward him and heard something crunch. Reaching down, he picked up a yellowed piece of paper. The scroll!

"Get ready to meet your maker!" he shouted. With one last glance at the 99.9% chance of death warning Harry pointed his wand at Voldemort and recited:

__

"Elicta Reeca,

Leventien Spirtu.

Voldemort encapta 

Imperious Latvia.

Likaston!"

A brilliant green light filled the sky and gathered right above Harry's head. Wind suddenly picked up and Harry crouched down to avoid being blown away. Thunder rattled and the light suddenly shot down on Voldemort like a bolt of lightening. He was blown apart instantly and the impact blew Harry away at an immense speed. He saw Dementors, Death Eaters, and random people blow up as Voldemort had but then everything disappeared as he was hurtled far into the Dark Forest.

A/N- Only 1 or 2 more chapters to go! Please review!


	12. The Memorial

****

Chapter 12

The Memorial

"A prayer now for our deceased: Professor Mary Sprout, Madam Eliza Pomfrey, Argus Filch…" Dumbledore droned on, reading off the names of those lost in the battle, beginning with the Hogwarts staff.

The majority of the magical world's population was jammed onto the Hogwarts grounds, spilling into the forest, the school, and even into the lake where people sat in boats. Everybody wanted to whiteness the historic memorial to honor the veterans of the Duel of the Fates. However, it seemed almost impossible that the bloodiest battle of all time had taken place on the very ground they stood on only 24 hours earlier. The dead bodies had been cleared and the sun shone brightly without a cloud in the sky. But it was still all too true that death was indeed genuine.

"Katrina Martly, Lily Frarus, David Prevenue, Lee Jordan…" Hermione choked on a fresh batch of tears at the familiar name of her former classmate. Ron wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder tightly.

"It's ok," he whispered reassuringly.

"So many deaths…" Hermione's voice trailed off as Dumbledore continued. 

"And now, a moment of silence for those brave souls who have lost their lives in the past 24 hours."

Hermione bowed her head respectfully but only one face haunted her mind. His jet black hair, his enormous glasses, his slightly large nose, his sexy half-smile that had captured her heart the day they'd first met…how could her life possibly go on without Harry?

As if reading Hermione's mind, Dumbledore suddenly spoke again:

"We will now pay a special tribute to a young boy of only 15 who has, no doubt, saved the world to put it frankly. I am speaking, of course, of Harry Potter."

Hermione sniffled loudly, drawing glares and "sshh"'s from many nearby people. Ron cradled Hermione's head in his arms as Dumbledore wrapped up the ceremony by unveiling a shiny golden statue of Harry holding his beloved Firebolt.

"Harry was always happiest in the sky," the headmaster explained, "and I hope that this memorial will remind us of his courageous efforts and of those other brave souls who gave their lives so that we could stand here freely as are. The ceremony is over. You may leave in peace."

Over the next 15 minutes most of the crowd filtered out and left the grounds. Ron and Hermione, however, lingered near the statue with a handful of other Hogwarts students.

"I just can't believe he's gone for good," Neville whispered after a moment of silence. Hermione let out a loud wail.

"Shut it Longbottom, can't you see she's upset?" Ron growled at him.

"Sorry Weasley, didn't realize you had a new girlfriend," Neville said with a smirk.

"Why I oughta-"

"Who's got a new girlfriend?" a cheerful voice interjected.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Just a little disagree-holy shit!"

"What?" Ron spun around and stared open-mouthed.

"Oh, come on you guys, you didn't really think I could die that easily, did you?" The student's mouths only dropped lower.

"Ooookay, apparently you did." 

"It's just-Harry, is it really you?" Ron cried, reaching out to poke his friend's arm.

"Oh course it's me, you dumbass!"

"But-but the warning on the scroll-" Ron sputtered.

"Ah, it was only 99.99%," Harry said casually, waving his hand to show its unimportance. "You guys know I'm a fighter. I'm that 0.01%. I'm a survivor." Hermione grinned, finally coming to her senses, and wrapped her arms around her no longer MIA boyfriend.

"Harry, you have no idea how much I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"I think I just might." Hermione giggled as he planted a soft, tender kiss on her lips then turned to their friends.

"We kicked Voldemort's ass! The deatheaters are gone for good! Including _all_ of the Malfoys!" Ron grinned. His brother's name would finally be cleared.

"I think this calls for a party! All houses invited, in the Great Hall immediately!!!" All who were within hearing distance cheered at the top of their lungs and lifted Harry on the shoulders as they headed off to the biggest party the world had ever seen.

A/N: Ok, not the best story ever, but in case u couldn't tell I got bored after chapter 7 or so but made myself finish it. But what'd u think? Plz review!


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